Efficiency has always been a priority for most companies operating large fleets or that rely mostly on their fleet for revenue. But it has now become even more important with the rising cost of fuel. Telematics plays an essential role in keeping fleets productive, efficient, and cost-effective. And companies that know how to unleash the full power of fleet technology will always have an advantage over their competition. Let's take a look at a few reasons why fleet technology is so important and how to pick the right technology for your fleet.

Fleet Technology Keeps Your Costs Low

One of the reasons why it’s essential to implement proper fleet technology in your organization is because of costs. Fleet technology can help you see exactly how your vehicles are used on the road. They let you know if some of your drivers took inefficient routes, for instance. They can also tell who lets their motor sit idle for too long and who is mishandling their vehicles. All of these things can help you reduce maintenance and running costs.

Better Asset Management

Fleet technology can also be used to keep a close eye on the state of your vehicles. It can help you tell in advance when you'll need to make repairs or replacements and stick to a strict maintenance schedule. Lifecycle management technology can help you extract the maximum value of your vehicles and sell them exactly at the right time. These are also things that will benefit your bottom line in the end.

Safer Drivers

You need safe drivers on the road at all times and dangerous drivers can affect your business in multiple ways. Poor drivers are more likely to get into accidents and cause damage or injury to people or property. This leads to money lost in compensation, lawsuits, and higher insurance costs.

Bad drivers can also lead to delays and will reduce the lifespan of your vehicles. They are also more likely to damage merchandise.

There are so many new technology tools that can help keep both your drivers and the public safe. You have things like blind-spot detection and video safety monitoring systems that can help prevent collisions. They can also provide a better view of a driver’s driving style. Stability control systems also have greatly reduced the number of major accidents on our roads since they’ve been introduced.

Easier Compliance

Fleet managers need to run all sorts of reports and inspections to stay compliant, and doing this on pen and paper is simply inefficient. Drivers can now perform inspections with their mobile devices, for instance, and send the results remotely.

This is a huge game-changer as it limits errors and makes the whole process much speedier and more efficient. Keeping a record of servicing history and maintenance on paper is a bad idea and leads to human error and delays. So, if you are still using antiquated methods, it's time to make a switch.

Choosing the Right Fleet Technology

All fleets in the country are obligated to use telematics in their fleet, but not all telematics solutions were created the same, and, if you feel like your current solution is lacking, you will have to think about changing providers. If you're losing track of important data points, for instance, or some crucial reports or reporting tools are missing, then you may be better served with another provider. If you want to know how to change telematics providers the right way, the linked article offers some useful insights.

When looking at a telematics provider, you need to look at different features. Traceability through GPS and real-time communication are absolute musts. The system must produce clear and actional driving data reports and has asset management tools as well. And the infrastructure should be cloud-based to favor interconnectivity.

You also need a telematics solution that can integrate well with your other business tools. You don’t want to have to manually dump data into other applications, so look for a solution that can connect with other tools through data dumps, data connect, APIs, and Webhooks. And make sure that you gauge the quality of any service provider’s customer service before you work with them, as you never know when you might need assistance.

Conclusion

Using the best and most advanced fleet technology should be a priority for all businesses with large or small fleets. It will keep your business competitive, reduce the chances of accidents, and will keep you out of legal and regulatory hot waters.